LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Poppies
Bring
Smiles
Addressed
to
Jean Amos
c/o
Editor,
Noe Valley
Voice
Dear
Ms.
Amos,
It
brought
a smile to my
face to read your letter to the editor in September about my work. I’m
so
pleased that my little flowers were able to bring a smile to yours as
well.
Floridly
yours,
“Johnny
Poppyseed”
Alvarado
Street
Evolution
at
St. Philip’s
Editor:
I
enjoyed
your coverage of
St. Philip’s history [“St. Philip’s Celebrates Its Centennial With
Grace,”
October 2010 Voice]. I am not a Catholic nor a congregant
there, but
have had the pleasure of the generosity of the church, which makes its
meeting
room available to the various Noe Valley groups I attend. Thanks.
My
favorite
moment of
recent history happened when Friends of Noe Valley celebrated its own
anniversary there last year. Both Supervisor Bevan Dufty and State
Senator Mark
Leno arrived with official proclamations to read. As Dufty rose to read
his, he
asked (a somewhat surprised) Senator Leno to watch his baby daughter in
her
pram. I thought how far all of our worlds had moved to have one openly
gay man
officeholder ask another to watch his newborn daughter, all in the
parish hall
basement of the local Catholic church! Vive la différence!
Charlie
Spiegel
Elizabeth
Street
Local
Girl
a Winner
Congratulations to Noe
Valley resident Ella Scanga, 10, who was recently tapped for a 2010
Youth Honor
Award from Skipping
Stones
magazine. The awards program honors art, essays, and
stories that promote cultural diversity and ecological sensitivity.
Ella’s
story “Ivy and the Maple
Leaf”
was picked as
one of 10 winners among 200 entries in this year’s international
competition.
Her work was printed in the September-October edition of the magazine,
based in
Eugene, Oregon. The Voice
thanks Skipping Stones, and Ella and her family on
26th Street, for letting us share the story with our readers.
Ivy
and
the Maple Leaf
By
Ella
Scanga
Once,
there
was a big Maple Tree with beautiful leaves that changed
colors with the season. Ivy was a little girl with brown eyes and
golden hair.
She loved nature. Each fall, she loved to sit on a bench next to the
Maple
Tree, watching all the leaves dry up and blow away. One year, when fall
came
and Ivy was sitting on the bench, the leaves fell until only one leaf
was left
hanging.
“Don’t
fall
until you’re ready,” said Ivy as the leaf blew in the gentle
wind.
The
next
day, when Ivy sat on the bench under the Maple Tree, the leaf
had still not fallen. “Don’t fall until you’re ready,” Ivy told the
leaf, which
fluttered in the gentle wind.
The
next
day, Ivy sat under the Maple Tree with a notebook. She was
doing a report on tree bark and decided that it was a good idea to come
to the
park for ideas. When she looked up, the leaf was still there.
“Don’t
fall
until you are ready,” said Ivy to the leaf.
On
the
last day of fall, the leaf finally fell off the tree. Ivy picked
up the leaf off the ground and put it in her notebook. Years passed by,
and Ivy
was getting ready to move. She was going through her things and found
the
notebook and the little brown leaf. She loved that leaf.
When
she
grew up, Ivy decided that she would become a botanist and help
save plants.
As
a
botanist, she taught a class called “Plants, Specimens, and Herbs”
at a community garden. Every day, she would take her class to the park
where
the old Maple Tree lived. They would observe, draw plants, and learn
about all
the things that they could do to help the environment. The kids were
inspired
by Ivy’s love of nature, and some decided to become botanists too.
Write
Us:
editor@noevalleyvoice.com
THE
NOE
VALLEY VOICE
P.O.
Box
460249
San
Francisco, CA 94146
www.noevalleyvoice.com
The
Noe Valley Voice is an independent newspaper published monthly
except
in January and August. It is distributed free in Noe Valley and
vicinity, on or
before the first Friday of the month. Subscriptions are available at
$30 per year
($25 for seniors) by writing to the above address.
The
Voice
welcomes your letters, photos, and stories, particularly on topics
relating
to Noe Valley. All items should include your name, address, and phone
number,
and may be edited for brevity or clarity. (Unsigned letters will not be
considered for publication.) Unsolicited contributions will be returned
only if
accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
The
Noe Valley Voice is a member of the San Francisco Neighborhood
Newspaper
Association.
Email:
editor@noevalleyvoice.com
Editorial
Office:
415-821-3324
Website:
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Display
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Deadline for the
December/January
Issue:
Nov. 19, 2010
Editorial/Class
Ad
Deadline:Nov. 15, 2010
CO-PUBLISHERS/EDITORS
Sally
Smith,
Jack
Tipple
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
AND EDITORS
Olivia
Boler,
Other Voices Editor
Corrie
M.
Anders,
Associate Editor
Heidi
Anderson,
Associate Editor
Karol
Barske,
Helen
Colgan, Chrissy Elgersma, Jan Goben, Liz Highleyman, John
Hohulin, Laura McHale Holland, Florence Holub, Tim Innes, Jeff Kaliss,
Doug
Konecky, Pat Rose, Roger Rubin, Shayna Rubin, Lorraine Sanders, Karen
Topakian,
Heather World, Nicole Wong, Alaish Wren
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Pamela
Gerard,
Photo Editor
Beverly
Tharp,
Senior Photographer
Jan
Brittenson,
Najib
Joe Hakim
Illustration
Karol
Barske
PRODUCTION
Jon
Elkin,
Sally
Smith, Jack Tipple
Distribution
Clare
Sullivan,
Jack
Tipple, Misha Yagudin
WEB
DESIGN
Jon
Elkin,
Elliot
Poger
ADVERTISING
SALES
Steve
Steinberg,
Advertising Manager
Jack
Tipple
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©2010
The
Noe Valley Voice